The TDM 850 was the first motorcycle which was designed around the rider and not (as with most bikes in these days) as a bike with a buddyseat. Designing the TDM, Yamaha used a lot of ideas from their "Morpho" project. That is why the positioning of the rider on the TDM 850 was unique in these days and ideal for the taller (1.80+ meter) riders. Yamaha wanted to create a motorcycle which was capable of handling the mountain roads of the European Alps and that would cope with the sometimes not so smooth road surface. Yamaha TDM 850 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 96 97 98 99 00 01